From EP 0 411 647 A1 it is known to provide a pattern of fibers of different colors in a needled fiber fleece by applying thereto a second fibrous fleece, which consists of fibers of different colors, onto the entire surface of said first or carrier fleece in stripes or in form of punched out elements and by supplying this laminate to a needle loom, the needle beams of which carry velour needles, especially crown needles or fork needles. By means of this needle loom, the fibers of the fleece of the different color are needled through the underlying carrier fleece in the pattern formed by the pattern of said fibers or by the arrangement of needles at the needle beams, said carrier fleece being supported by a brush band, into which the needles can pierce in. If the different color fleece is applied onto the carrier fleece as a continuous fleece, patterns repeating in register rounds can be generated, if the support is lowered and raised in periods and if the laminate is transported through the needle loom in lengths corresponding to the register rounds with the support being lowered.
In the cited publication, as an alternative is mentioned to supply the different color pattern forming fibers not as a fleece but as individual fibers by the aid of a continuous or discontinuous air stream and to put them on a needled carrier fleece by means of a mouth piece. In order to form patterns, the mouth piece is guided parallely to the surface of the carrier fleece. In order to avoid the applied fibers to resolve from the carrier fleece, a vacuum is effective on the reverse side of the carrier fleece. This technique is relatively expensive and requires to immediately feed the needled carrier fleece supplied with the different color fibers to the needle loom.
Another alternative, which is described in the aforementioned publication suggests, to apply the different color fibers as yarns or yarn elements onto the needled carrier fleece, the fibers of said yarns which are bound in the compound of the carrier fleece so losely, that they can be needled through the carrier fleece for pattering purposes by the aid of needles. It is not cited in which way and by which means the fibers of the yarn are to be losely bound into the carrier fleece.